


The Aftermath of a Disaster

by Wolfinsheepsclothing



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: I swear I try, Kinda, M/M, My First Fanfic, Oh My God, Other, don't hate me, eh, please
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-31
Updated: 2016-07-31
Packaged: 2018-07-28 09:06:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7634314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolfinsheepsclothing/pseuds/Wolfinsheepsclothing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Armin Alert, a bright five year old who has recently been adopted by Levi and Erwin, struggles to come to terms with his new life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so sorry to anyone who clicked on this, I know it's shit. But honestly this is more for me to get all the needless cravings for fluff that I have.

The room was very very different from his previous one. 

That, Armin was sure of. In fact, the room even felt different if you asked him. 

Where his room, his actual room (that was now gone, burned to a crisp, and it was his fault Armin Armin watch the candle Armin don't let it fall ARMIN THE CANDLE-) was comfortable and warm and cozy, this room felt cold and cramped, not anything he wished to stay in at all. 

He choked back tears, and angrily threw himself onto the bed. Well, he deserved a room like this anyways, he reasoned. Only good children deserved the good room he had before. And he, was definitely not a good child, he mourned silently. 

His heart ached, his head ached, his soul felt like it was aching but most of all his lungs felt like we're aching (Armin, Armin you need to crawl, crawl for me baby, it'll help with the coughing, no don't stand up ARMIN STOP STOP THE SMOKE-) 

He whimpered to himself, and he felt like he could still taste thick heavy smoke, grey smoke that twisted inside of him and left him choking, but maybe he deserved to choke, his mommy and daddy, gone, gone because of him because, because of a candle (Armin, oh god, he's not breathing! HE'S NOT BREATHING-), a candle he had dropped- 

"Armin?" A soft voice pulled him out of his stupor and he darted up quickly. "Armin, you in there?" He called out. 

He recognised the voice, the voice of the nice tall man with blonde hair and blue eyes like the ocean, (mommy I wanna go to the ocean, maybe someday baby- never, will never go to the ocean with her now) and so he called out back to the voice. 

"I'm in here." He said, his voice sounding scratchy to his own ears. 

The door creaked open and there was the tall man, standing in the doorway, waiting for something it seemed to Armin. "How have you been settling?" He finally asked awkwardly. 

"Fine. I'm fine." He respond quickly, wanting nothing more than for him to go away. 

"I know...I know that this must be so hard on you...and I just wanted you to know that you always come to me, or Levi for anything." He rambled, but by the time he had said his first line Armin wasn't listening anymore, didn't want to listen anymore. 

"Okay." He said dumbly and stared at the dark carpeting, he used to have a yellow carpet, yellow like the sun (black with ash he remembered, maybe this room wasn't that different) and he felt the sudden urge to puke.

For dinner they had chicken, and Armin was placed in between the short man and the tall ocean man, and he wanted nothing more than to be back in his yellow sunshine room. 

So he cried. 

Cried in the middle of dinner, in the middle of eating, he burst into sobs and shoved the fork he was holding onto back onto the plate and let himself sob. 

Both men quickly got up and they stared at each other for a few moments while he cried, until the short one walked up to him and picked him up. In any other circumstance he probably would've yelled, screamed and told the man to let him go, but right now he was sad and tired and angry and wanted nothing more than to be held by someone, so he allowed it. 

"Shh...shhh Armin...shh...it's okay..." The short man said, as gently as he possibly could. Armin let him cry into the man's shoulder, and he felt the man shudder a bit, but he continued to hold him and rocked him and the ocean eyed man rubbed his back and he deserved the dark room but he didn't want it, he wanted his sunshine carpet room but that, that he burned, his fault his fault- 

So he cried.


	2. Sunshine Carpet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Armin doesn't understand why the person keeps asking about his sunshine carpet room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well well well. Seems that for some reason, my monstrosity lives on. Poor, innocent souls who clicked on this beware~ I can't write. 
> 
> Anyways I just wanted to say thanks to anyone who read this, that's pretty cool of you~

"A therapist might help." Erwin broached the subject to his husband. 

Levi just scoffed at him, placing the little boy in his bed. "Therapists aren't worth shit. They'll just take our money and try some mumbo-jumbo shit on him. Ain't worth it." He said bluntly, walking out of the room.

"I think it's worth a shot Levi, I mean, going through a traumatic experience like that is obviously gonna have a negative affect on him." He said back, closing the door to Armins' room. 

"Veto power dear. That would be as helpful as someone saying 'hey brat, why are you sad that your house burned down and your family died?' The answer is fucking simple, he's just dealing with little kid emotions and shit." 

"But not a lot of children have that happen to them." Erwin countered. 

Levi sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Fine, you know what? Go ahead. If you think it will work, go try it. But if it screws him up, don't say I didn't tell you." He said to his husband, and then turned to go to their bedroom.

"Always so cynical Levi." He bit back, before following him. 

~~~

"Armin, dont bring a candle into your room, that's dangerous baby." 

"I'll be really really careful mommy, please?" 

"..."

"Fine, but be extra careful okay?" 

"Okay!" 

~~~

Armin woke up suddenly, and fear seized him. His dream wasn't scary by any means, no, it was more the anticipation of what came next that frightened him, (fire, a big roaring fire that made him scream and run, RUN RUN RUN FIREFIREIFI-) the knowing of what came next. 

He looked around the room, too dark for his wide eyes to make anything out, and he stepped out of the bed. 

He stayed there for a few moments, fear once again washing over him (if you're trapped in a burning building put your hand against a door make sure it isn't hot, don't wanna open the door if it's hot kids) but fear of what he didn't know this time. Fear of fire? Fear of those men, Erwin and Levi he remembered their names (they're very nice Armin, I'm sure you'll love them, don't worry don't be scared) or maybe just fear of the unknown. 

He crept silently out of his room and peered into the room where the men were sleeping, and all at once a yearning to join them came over him, he used to sleep in his parents room when he was scared and he was so scared right now, scared of (fire, fire scared him so bad) anything really. 

One of the men sat up and looked at him, the tall one, the ocean eyed one, Erwin he remembered, (I know this must be so hard on you-)

"Armin? What's, what's wrong?" He said groggily. 

He bolted out of there, racing back to his room and covered himself in his blankets, burrowing underneath them. He heard the man run after him and walk tenatively to his bed and say, "Armin? Sweetie what's wrong?" And how he hated to be called sweetie, no one but his daddy was allowed to call him that and this man was definitely NOT his daddy. 

"Nothing." Was his muffled reply, so he sighed and left, keeping the door open this time so that soft light filtered into his room and for a moment Armin let himself believe that man was his daddy. 

~~~

"My name is Mr. Yeager, and you must be Armin!" He exclaimed, bending down to his level. Armin felt himself shy away and he slunk behind the ocean eyed man's (he could be your daddy if you just let him Armin, old daddy is gone, you could have a new one) legs. 

"Yes, this is Armin. He's a bit shy obviously." Erwin said and gave a little chuckle, turning around and revealing the little boy. 

"It's nice to meet you Armin. Why don't we have a talk, just you and me, yeah?" The new man said softly, but his eyes were so intense, the intensity would've frightened Armin if they weren't so soft at the same time.

He shrugged, and let himself be led to a little room while Erwin(daddy?) sat on the couch, talking enthusaticly to the receptionist. 

Mr. Yeager shut the door behind him and gestured around the room saying, "Sit anywhere you want, or you can play in the sand pit." 

Armin sat himself on the ground next to the sandpit, glad for the distraction from the new man. 

"Armin, I understand that you've been feeling a bit sad lately hmm?" He said casually, sitting on the other side of the sandpit. Armin shrugged again, not wanting to talk to the man. 

"I feel sad sometimes too. I mean, you must be feeling very very sad with everything that's happened, but I promise that you're not the only sad one." He rambled on, and Armin felt his chest tighten so he only nodded and began building a castle. 

"I was talking to your father-" (not my father not my father- could be could be, just give it up Armin) "and he said that you're not very fond of your new room?" He asked. 

"It's not...it's not got the same carpet." He mumbled. 

"Oh? What was the carpet before?" 

"It's was yellow...like a sunshine colour." 

"Oh how pretty! Is that your favourite colour?" He said excitedly. 

Armin just shrugged. 

"My favourite colour is blue. Probably. Sometimes it's green!" The man exclaimed and Armin felt annoyed, this man was a child, he didn't like that, he didn't even wanna be here, he wanted to be home (he wanted to be I'm his sunshine yellow room) 

"That's nice." Armin said simply, and wished he was anywhere else.


	3. At Peace for a Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Armin let's himself feel at peace with the short man for a bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should probably get a schedule but whatever, I'll just post when I feel like it for now. 
> 
> Warning: family type fluff because I crave itttt

Armin was cranky and tired after the meeting with Mr. Yeager. The man had interrupted him what seemed like a million times, making his focus fuzzy so he couldn't finish the sandcastle. 

He sat in one of the uncomfortable chairs in the waiting room whilst Erwin(he's not my daddy, he's not, it's his fault for making me come here) chatted with Mr. Yeager, and how he hated the way they both kept looking at him. 

"How do you feel about coming here again Armin?" Erwin asked him and Armin couldn't stop himself from physically bristling at the mere thought. 

"No thanks." He said as politely as possible. They both looked at him, before Erwin cleared his throat and said, "I'm sorry you feel that way, but I'm sure you'll start enjoying it." 

He just stared at him incredulously before shaking his head angrily. "No!" He shouted, getting worked up. 

"Armin, that's not how-" 

"NO!" He screamed, flinging his little limbs around, and really he wasn't saying no to seeing Mr. Yeager now, he was saying no to (a burning room, burning burningburning) everything that had happened to him. 

Mr. Yeager quickly stooped in front of Armin and looked him firmly in the eyes. "Armin, why are you upset?" He said quietly to the writhing and screaming child, who held his gaze back and his face crumpled he was tired, so tired and wanted (a yellow sunshine room, his mommy, his daddy, please please) to go. 

"Why are you upset?" He asked again. 

"I DUNNO" The child wailed, breaking the eye contact, and his eyes fell on Erwin who looked so sad and broken that it was even worse, as much as he told himself he was angry at the man, he really wasn't, he was just (sadscaredtiredangryangryANGRYATHIMSELF) so tired. 

So he wailed again and cried out to the ocean eyed man, using the title he told himself he would never give him, the one he told himself the man didn't deserve, the one he wouldn't ever say again- 

"DADDY!" 

His eyes widened for a secound, with shock probably, but he came as quickly as he could and picked him up. 

"Thank you so much for everything Eren, we'll be back next week." 

"Of course, no problem. Just be warned, he will have freak out moments like this and they are perfectly normal, just a defensive mechanism." 

Armin stopped listening by then and instead let himself sob into the man's neck, letting his damp cheeks wet his nice shirt, and he thought of (his mommy and daddy, up in heaven they told him, that scared him because if they were in heaven they would never see him he was a bad boy and bad boys go to HELL WHERE FIRE IS HE DESERVED IT DESERVED ALL OF IT) sleeping. 

~~~

"You're filthy." Was the flat reply that he got from the short man when Erwin (DADDY!) and him walked in the door, and he supposed he was, he had sand in his shirt and socks and even his hair. 

Erwin put him down and he looked back up at him with damp eyes, but no more tears, those were all gone. 

"I'll get a bath running." Levi said, turning his back to them and Erwin called after him, "I'm going to run out to the store, you need anything?" 

"That bubbly shit that kids like, the bath stuff." 

"Levi, language." Erwin warned him and Armin felt himself smile a bit, he liked the domestic family feel the two men gave him. 

"Yea, yea whatever. C'mon Armin, before I get yelled at anymore. " He said, and gestured for him to follow him. 

"Bye..." He whispered to the tall man, and he smiled at him and said back, "Bye sweetie." Before walking out the door. 

~~~

It felt like the first time Armin felt content in this house. 

After his bath, where he had his hair washed for him, getting all of the gross sand out of it, and getting new pajamas that were actually warm and fuzzy, nothing like the ones the other families bought him (you're just here until people actually want you, IF anyone wants you, I can't believe I have to share my room AGAIN). 

He was sat in the short ones lap, who sipped tea and rocked back and forth in the chair, reading a book in a slow monotonous tone. 

"A little ways on, the little old lady came upon two white gloves and a tall black hat. And the glove went clap, clap, and the hat went nod, nod. 'Get out of my way, you two white gloves and you tall black hat! I'm not afraid of you. ' She said." 

Armin let himself grow tired, the comfort of the clothes and the slow rocking bringing him closer to sleep. 

The man abruptly cut himself off and said, "Sleepy?" 

Armin only nodded and snuggled himself closer to the man who sighed and continued rocking. 

"And so she kept walking, if only a bit faster..."


	4. French Class - Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An impromptu "Take-your-kid-to-work" day with Levi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been having so much trouble with plot I thought but then I was just scrolling through my insta feed with the Hozier radio on and I saw a picture of child Armin and Erwin and all of the sudden- INSPIRATION!!
> 
> Also this chapter is gonna be in 2 parts, bc its 3 am here and im tired.

Armin woke up in his bed on Monday to Levi shaking him. "Huh?" He groaned, curling into Levi's arm. 

"Armin, listen baby, I forgot it's fucking take your kid to work day which is why Erwin isn't home to be with you." He breathed out, shaking the boy again. 

Armin yawned and sat up. "So I'm coming with you today?" He asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes. "Yea, I'm sorry I didn't give you more of a warning sweetie, but can you get up now?" Levi asked him, trying to be gentle with the little boy. 

"Yeah, I can get ready." He responded, swinging himself off of the bed and stretching. 

Levi nodded encouragingly and said, "Okay okay, I'll come back up in 20 minutes and I guess...I'll get you some greasy shit at McDonald's or whatever in the ride there." He cringed at the thought but it was just the right incentive to get the 5 year old racing to the dresser. 

 

~~~

 

"Wait til we get to my classroom to eat that shit okay?" Levi said to the boy in the backseat, face wrinkled with disgust. "Okay!" He cheered, holding the McDonald's bag closer to his chest. 

After a short drive, Levi parked the car in the Teachers Parking Lot and quickly opened the door to reach for Armin. He unbuckled his car seat and carried the boy out of the car. "Okay Armin, you tell me if you're uncomfortable, got it? My class is full of little shits." He grumbled to the little boy clutching his arms. He nodded attentively. 

They walked into the school and into a very clean classroom, obviously Levis'. He placed the boy onto his chair at his desk. "Go ahead and eat your breakfast now baby, I'm gonna go hunt down a colouring book." He said to him and rushed out of the classroom. 

Armin looked around the classroom, idly swinging his legs off of the chair. He opened the bag up and eagerly teared into his breakfast, stuffing it into his mouth. 

"Holy shit, Mr. Smith does have a kid!" 

The voice startled him enough to whip his head around and see a tall boy, with oddly coloured hair approaching him. 

"Jean stop, you're gonna scare the poor dear!" His friend reprimanded him, slapping his arm. 

"What?! I'm just really fucking surprised Marco!" He argued back. 

"Really fucking surprised, Mr. Kirschtein?" Levi drawled, stepping into the classroom carrying a colouring book and crayons. 

Armin hopped off of the chair and ran to the man, to stand behind his legs. 

"Take your seats, brats." Levi said coolly, before turning around to pick up Armin. 

"Told you, little shits." He murmered. 

Armin let out a little laugh, and realised it was going to be a long day.


End file.
